Spill money may be protected

Wednesday

May 1, 2013 at 7:53 PM

Lawmakers in the House unanimously agreed Wednesday to place the penalty money that Louisiana will receive because of the Gulf Coast oil spill into the state coastal fund and protect it in the constitution.

Lawmakers in the House unanimously agreed Wednesday to place the penalty money that Louisiana will receive because of the Gulf Coast oil spill into the state coastal fund and protect it in the constitution. The measure (House Bill 118) by Rep. Simone Champagne, R-Erath, deals with money that could be received by the state for violations of federal pollution standards under the Clean Water Act. That could be billions of dollars. The coastal protection fund, where the money would be placed, is used for coastal restoration projects and hurricane protection efforts. The Clean Water Act dollars already are earmarked for coastal protection in statute, but Champagne wants the language added to the Louisiana Constitution so lawmakers couldn’t easily change the allocation. Champagne’s bill heads to the Senate for debate. If approved by both the House and Senate, it would need backing from voters in a 2014 statewide election. All Houma-Thibodaux representatives voted for the measure.